In a significant move, the Lagos State House of Assembly initiated the process to ban street begging throughout the state during yesterday’s plenary session.
At the session, Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, expressed grave concern about the alarming rise of street begging within the state.
He emphasized the urgency of implementing a law to criminalize street begging and hold accountable those who contribute to the problem.
Addressing the Source
Speaker Obasa highlighted the ineffectiveness of previous administrations’ attempts to tackle this issue.
“When we address the source, then we can curb it. When you go on the road, you find children within the ages of five and six begging.”
The proposed law not only seeks to outlaw street begging but also includes provisions to penalize residents who encourage or financially support beggars.
By targeting both the beggars and those enabling their activities, the legislation aims to comprehensively tackle the problem at its root.
